With a tripling of overweight to 15 percent of American children ages 6 to 19 in the last 30 years,obesity prevention is much needed – in the home, childcare, school, community and health care.

However, experts disagree on how to proceed. It is important that prevention programs focus on the health and well being of every child and that they do no harm. Overzealous or inappropriate obesity interventions can be detrimental to vulnerable children, especially when related issues are not considered, such as disordered eating, eating disorders, hazardous weight loss, nutrition deficiencies, and size prejudice. Safe and effective programs will recognize the interrelatedness of these problems and set the stage in childhood for healthy habits that promote long-term natural and stable weights for all.

These are issues that particularly impact low-income families and children from ethnic and racial minorities that have high prevalence of obesity. In her presentations, Frances Berg argues for prevention programs that consider the broad perspective and focus on total health and well being, not weight.

Using Power Point slides followed by discussion, she presents the problems and prevention strategies being proposed by various experts. She explains the Health at Every Size philosophy and how to build a strong foundation with programs that promote the health of every child of every size. She presents the Society for Nutrition Education position paper Guidelines for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs, of which she was lead author, and describes safe and effective programs that are being implemented in state, school and community settings.

1. Understand the philosophy of prevention programs that focus on total health and well being, and be motivated to work on such programs with parents, schools, and local communities.
2. Be able to explain the inadequacies and potential harm from obesity prevention programs that focus on weight and ignore eating disturbances.
3. Increase their knowledge of obesity prevention programs now under development and being implemented in state, school and community efforts throughout the United States.
4. Be motivated to develop personal lifestyle habits that are preventive of weight and eating problems.

Women and Children in Weight Crisis: A
Vision for Change

and
Celebrate Health at Any Size

America's children are growing up afraid to eat, afraid to gain weight, afraid to grow normally. A California study reveals that 46 to 81 percent of 10-year-old girls have disordered eating through fear of fat. Four-year-olds worry they're too fat.

About 40 percent of women and 25 percent of men are trying to lose weight at any one time. Many put their health at risk, and nearly all are unsuccessful in a lasting way.

But the situation is far worse than most people realize. Approximately two-thirds of all teenage girls in the U.S. have abnormal eating behavior, one-half are severely undernourished, one-third are smoking at least occasionally, one-third are considering suicide, one-fifth are overweight and one-tenth have potentially fatal eating disorders. Teenage boys mirror these same problems to a lesser extent.

To deal with these problems a new health-centered paradigm is emerging that emphasizes trust, empowerment, self-acceptance, normal eating and prevention, replacing the failed weight-centered approach. The goal is to set the stage in childhood for healthy lifestyles that will that will last a lifetime and promote natural and stable weights for them as adults. An outgrowth of the nondiet movement, this approach is being called Health at Any/Every Size.

In her presentations, Frances M. Berg, author of Underage and Overweight: America’s Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know,Children and Teens Afraid to Eat: Helping Youth in Today's Weight-Obsessed World, and Women Afraid to Eat: Breaking Free in Today's Weight-Obsessed World, challenges America's obsession with thinness and unmasks its tragic effects, particularly on women and children. Through vivid photos, charts, graphs and personal stories she examines the four major weight and eating problems that fuel this crisis (dysfunctional eating, eating disorders, size prejudice and overweight), describes the forces that have shaped them, and shows the way to healthy change.

1. Participants will increase their knowledge of the many problems and complexities of weight and eating issues as they affect youth and adults today, and be challenged to continue investigating these issues with an open mind.
2. Participants will learn more about the new health-centered paradigm being called "Health at Any Size," and be motivated to move toward it, if they have not already made this shift. This will impact their work in positive ways as they educate, develop programs, and seek to empower those they work with.
3. Participants will learn practical solutions for dealing with specific problems in their work. They will put these ideas to immediate use in solving problems and developing preventive programs.
4. On a personal level, participants will be motivated to eat well, live actively, and feel good about themselves and others.

An internationally known authority on weight and eating, Francie Berg is a licensed nutritionist, Adjunct Professor of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, and the founder, former editor and publisher of Healthy Weight Journal (now Health at Every Size journal). She has reported obesity research to health professionals and educators worldwide for over 20 years through her articles, books and presentations at national and international conferences.

FOR PARTICIPANTS
Whether you work in education, as a health professional, in community leadership, or have children of your own you'll recognize the damage being done by the media's emphasis on unrelentingly thin models, by advertising excesses, and by the force of peer pressure that idolizes the ìperfectî body and expresses contempt for anything less. In these presentations you'll examine the interplay of athletics, malnutrition, body image, and size prejudice on weight and eating problems. Personal accounts depicting the pain that large individuals endure can touch your heart, stir your anger, and motivate you to work for change.

You'll have the tools you need to challenge youth and adults in more positive ways, help them develop self-trust, rediscover normal eating, and get on with their lives while improving health and well-being. You'll learn innovative new ways to prevent the six major weight and eating problems (obesity, eating disorders, dysfunctional eating, hazardous weight loss, size prejudice and the undernutrition of teenage girls) and explore how leaders can work together for healthful change -- at home, in schools, and throughout the culture. You'll come to appreciate the wisdom of Health at Any Size, of accepting and respecting yourself and helping others to be healthy and happy at the size they are.

TARGET AUDIENCE
These presentations are primarily targeted to nutritionists and other health professionals, educators, and community leaders. Community events for the general public also may be scheduled.

PROGRAM LENGTH
Prefer 2 to 2 1/2 hour sessions, or keynote talk followed by breakout session, which gives more time for feedback and discussion of the issues. Also schedule talks of 50 to 90 minutescludes Power Point slides with large and small group discussion. Handouts.

ARRANGEMENTS
Prefer clustering of two or more talks in the area, if possible. Willing to discuss issues on local television and radio. (News release and feature articles available.)

ALTERNATE TOPICS
Presentation may focus on related topics such as quality care for large patients, addressing society's response to obesity, dealing with disordered or dysfunctional eating, prevention of eating disorders, intervention strategies that are making a difference, and the Health at Any Size revolution and its road map to health and well-being.

Evaluations

I highly recommend Francie Berg as a public speaker . . . She was one of four invited speakers (for a symposium at the American Psychological Association convention in Chicago) and she stole the show, with a dynamic presentation which actively engaged the audience . . . Of the people who offered feedback on this symposium all referred to Francieís excellent presentation style and/or her original analysis.

"Wonderful -- wish it could have been longer for more discussion."

"I share your concern that no one seems to appreciate the prevalence and risks. Where is the outcry?"

"Thank you for your fine continued work in this vital area. All women need to hear your message. Great presentation."

"I'm pleased that this huge problem is having such a good common sense professional approach."

"Something is finally getting underway and I hope it spreads across the nation."

"I'd like to see Francie do this as a day-kong conference."

"Slides were excellent, supported an excellent presentation."

"This is the way things should be done more often: the 'hands-on' part. People in our profession love to talk. I've thought for years that we always want to involve our students, yet we forget to involve ourselves at conferences."

"We can make a difference!"

"Wish more school-related staff would see the importance of this issue, e.g. coaches, science, food service, phy ed."

"Very informative."

"Enlightening."

"We need to address the subject of size bias!"

"Too bad we didn't have more time!"

"Was really good. Learned a lot."

"I feel we need more education on eating disorders as it is an area our children deal with daily."

"Great slides. Good overview of problems. Could use more time to present solutions for discussion."

"One day was too short!"

"This is a fabulous program. The team members have produced a creative, life- and soul-saving program. The invited speaker, Francie Berg, was fantastic."

• Alaska Obesity Summit, Anchorage, Alaska. Dealing with the Obesity Crisis: The Health at Any Size Approach

• Nutrition Committee of Puerto Rico, San Jose, Puerto Rico. Living Healthy at Any Size

• National Eating Disorder Information Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Keynote Panel Debate: The Fat Debate;Breakout Session: The StarvationSyndrome and how to avoid it

• Pacific Rim International Dietetic Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii. Keynote: Shifting to New Paradigm in Obesity Treatment; Breakout: Afraid to Eat -- Children and Teens in Weight Crisis

• Indian Health Services Nutrition and Dietetics, Phoenix, Arizona. Healthy Eating and Healthy Weight (half-day workshop)

• British Columbia Dairy Foundation Professional Program, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Women and Children Afraid to Eat: Can we shift the paradigm

Florida Dietetic Association, West Palm Beach, Florida. Afraid to Eat: Children and teens in weight crisis

• Nebraska Dietetic Association, Kearney, Nebraska. Keynote: Celebrate Health at Any Size; Breakout: Steps to a Normalized Lifestyle: Live Actively, Eat Well, Feel Good About Yourself

• Montana Dietetic Association and Montana Association of Family and Consumer Science Conference, Great Falls, Montana. Pre-session Workshop: Healthy Eating and Healthy Weight: What We Can do in a Pilot Program; Keynote: Dealing with the Eating and Weight Crisis in Montana; Session: Iron Deficiencies in the teen diet

• Canadian Diabetes Association and Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Professional Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Symposim: Society's response to obesity

• Columbia River Eating Disorder Network Conference, Vancouver, Washington. Keynote: Disordered Eating: A Vision for Change; Breakout: Intervention Strategies that Make a Difference

• Minnesota Nutrition Council and Minnesota Association of Family and Consumer Science, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Keynote: Afraid to Eat: Shifting to theNew Paradigm; Breakout Session: Overcoming Eating Fears: A Plan of Action

• American Association of Family Consumer Science Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. Afraid to Eat: Children and teens in weight crisis

• National Press Women Association, Bismarck, North Dakota. Nutrition Communication goes International

• West Valley Schools and Providence Medical Center,Yakima, Washington. Children and Teens in Weight Crisis: Living Healthy at any Size; Dysfunctional and Disturbed Eating in Our Schools (five sessions on eating disorder concerns -- for students, parents, teachers, health professionals)

• Lakeside Health Conference, Kenosha, Wisconsin. Afraid to Eat: Children and Teens in Weight Crisis

• Minnesota Southcentral Dietetic Association, Marshall, Minnesota. Counterpoint: Promoting Body size Acceptance: Health at Any Size

• Nebraska WIC Program, Kearney, Nebraska. Healthy Weight, Healthy Lifestyle

• Roughrider Health Conference, Medora, North Dakota. Celebrating Healthy Eating and Weight: It's About You! (personal wellness sessions)

• Marshall High School Teachers Continuing Education, Marshall, Minnesota. Living Healthy at Every Size

• FNP Extension Conference, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. Keynote: Living in a Healthy Body; Discussion groups: What this means for Extension Educators

• Columbia River Eating Disorder Network, Vancouver, Washington. Community program: Eating Disorders: What do we do now?

• West River Regional Medical Center, Hettinger, North Dakota. Staff training in three sessions: Quality Care for the Large Patient

• Missouri Extension Service, Columbia, Missouri. Nutrition Specialists Training Program: A New You: Living in a Healthy Body in the New Millennium

• Minnesota Food Service Association, Lakeview, Minnesota. Keynote: Afraid to Eat: Children and Teens in Weight Crisis; Breakouts: A Vision for Change

• Alaska Dietetic Association, Anchorage, Alaska. Dealing with the Obesity Crisis: The Health at Any Size Approach

• South Dakota Dietetic Association, Rapid City, South Dakota. Celebrate Health and Wellness at Every Size: How Professionals Can Make the Paradigm Shift (three-hour presentation and discussion session)

• Women's Health Summit 2001, Bismarck, North Dakota. Healthy and Attractive at Any Size: It's About You! (two sessions)

• North Central States 4-H Forum, Fargo, North Dakota. Living Healthy at any Size

• American Dietetics Association Annual Convention, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colorado. Healthy Weight Journal/ Network Exhibit

• West River Women's Retreat, Richardton, North Dakota. Celebrate Health at Any Size

• Society for Nutrition Education Annual Meeting, Charleston, South Carolina. Healthy Weight Journal/ Network Exhibit

• Portland Dietetic Association, Portland, Oregon. Living Healthy at any Size

• Canadian Home Economics National Conference, Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada. Gwen Leslie Plenary Session: Join the Health at Any Size Revolution; Breakout: Intervention Stragies that Make a Difference

• North Dakota Association for Family and Community Education state meeting, Dickinson, North Dakota. Celebrate Health and Wellness at Every Size: Making the Paradigm Shift

• Wisconsin Dietetic Assoc. Conference, Madison, Wisconsin: Women and Children Afraid to Eat: Where do we go from here?

• Nutrition Seminar XVIII, Brookings, South Dakota. Nutrition Today -- Have the Rules Changed? Workshop: Healthy Eating: How do we help the people we work with?

• NDSU Extension Service, West River Health Services Health at Every Size Task Force and Advisory Council, Hettinger, North Dakota. Community programs: Celebrating Size Diversity

• American Dietetic Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. Healthy Weight Journal/ Network Exhibit

• Family and Consumer Education Regional Meeting, Hettinger, North Dakota. Celebrating Size Diversity

• Society of Nutrition Education, Baltimore, Maryland. Healthy Weight Journal/ Network Exhibit

• North Dakota Library Association, Williston, North Dakota. Enjoy Health at Any Size: It's About You!

• Black Hills Health Education Conference, Spearfish, South Dakota. Kids Afraid to Eat: A Vision for Change

• Four Corners Health Coalition, Hettinger, North Dakota. Good Health for All Sizes

• North Dakota Dairy Council, Bismarck, ND: Afraid to Eat. Children and Teens in Weight Crisis

• Alabama Cattlemen's Association, Montgomery, Alabama. Keynote: Children and Teens in Weight Crisis and its Effect on Agriculture;Breakout: Children and Teens who are Afraid to Eat: How we can Help."

• South Dakota Dairy Council, Rapid City, SD. Keynote: Dysfunctional Eating: Can It Be Stopped; Developing A Vision and Direction

• Benton-Franklin Counties Cooperative Extension and Health Department, Richland, Washington. Afraid to Eat Workshop

• Wisconsin Family & Consumer Educators, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Dealing with the Eating and Weight Crisis through Practical Reasoning; Afraid to Eat: Children and teens in weight crisis

• South Dakota Health Conference, Spearfish, South Dakota. Afraid to Eat: Children and teens in weight crisis

• Roughrider Conference, Medora, North Dakota. Dysfunctional and Disturbed Eating in Our Schools

• Minnesota Dietetic Association, Brainard, Minnesota. Afraid to Eat: Children and Teens in Weight Crisis

• Toronto Area Dietitians, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Afraid to Eat: Women in weight and eating crisis